Dr. Edwin Brands
Ed Brands is currently an Adjunct Assistant Professor in the Department of Geography and in International Programs at the University of Iowa, works with the Iowa Geological Survey Bureau Water Monitoring Section, and is an employee of Digital Artefacts (a 3D graphics company). He has multiple interests, which are reflected by diverse employment, activities, and accomplishments in academic, non-profit, government, and private sectors. His main interests are in environmental policy and science, and increasingly in the interrelationship between environmental quality and economic well-being. Over the past decade, Ed has worked on a variety of environmental issues including underground storage tanks, water quality and agriculture, and environmental justice, and has managed a $400,000 federal water quality grant. Ed has taught several courses on environmental science and policy, including Environmental Impact Assessment, International Environmental Policy, and Global Environmental Change. Ed’s previous international experiences include playing professional basketball in Bremerhaven, Germany, and in Guayaquil, Ecuador. Ed received his Ph.D. from The University of Iowa, and is a graduate of Grinnell College and Charles City (Iowa) High School. Ed grew up on a farm in northeast Iowa; his lifelong interests in environmental science and policy are grounded in this experience.
In December 2006, along with University of Iowa Geography Professor Raj Rajagopal, Ed co-planned and taught a study abroad course on microfinance and women’s development in Tamil Nadu, India. The group from the University of Iowa consisted of a group of 17 students, 3 faculty/staff, and 2 guests, and spent 2 ½ weeks learning about microfinance from many different perspectives, and in-depth about the operations of Mahasemam, a microfinance institution located in Tamil Nadu. Because the University of Iowa team partnered with Mahasemam rather than another institution of higher education, in addition to meeting with many of the organization’s officers and administrators, it was able to spend 25+ hours in the field interacting face to face with recipients of micro loans, learning about the impacts of such funds and accompanying services (e.g. insurance, health clinics) on poor women and their families. Through Ed’s affiliation with CARTHA, several students obtained scholarships, which enabled them to further utilize and unlock their creative potential to develop outstanding presentations and multimedia during the course.
Dr. Edwin Brands 